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Future Fellowships
Selection Report for Funding Commencing in 2011

Overview

The Future Fellowships scheme reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to promoting research in areas of critical national importance by enabling outstanding Australian and international mid-career researchers to conduct their research in Australia.

The objectives of the Future Fellowships scheme are to:

  • attract and retain outstanding mid-career researchers;
  • build collaboration across industry and/or research institutions and/or disciplines;
  • support research in national priorities across all disciplines that will result in economic, environmental, social, health and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and
  • strengthen Australia’s research capacity by supporting innovative, internationally competitive research.

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Selection Process

ARC Executive Directors, assisted by relevant ARC staff, prepared funding recommendations for submission to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The outcomes were based on advice from Selection Advisory Committees which:

  • assessed proposals and reviewed assessments made by independent readers;
  • reviewed applicants’ comments on assessors’ reports;
  • ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposal and the assessors’ reports and applicants’ responses to those assessments; and
  • assessed and recommended budgets;

and, advice from the ARC Eligibility Committee which:

  • considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff or the members of the Selection Advisory Committees;
  • sought advice from institutions with respect to issues raised; and
  • made recommendations to the CEO in respect of ineligible proposals.

This report reflects the recommendations of the ARC CEO to the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn proposals.

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Selection Criteria

Selection criteria and corresponding weightings for Future Fellowships proposals are:

Future Fellowship Candidate;                                                 (40%)
project quality; and                                                               (35%)
strategic alignment / collaboration                                         (25%)

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Summary of Outcomes

Over a five-year period (2009-2013), Future Fellowships will offer four-year fellowships ranging over three salary levels (of up to $142,806 a year) to 1,000 outstanding Australian and international researchers in the middle of their career.
In addition, each researcher’s Administering Organisation will receive up to $50,000 per year to support related infrastructure, equipment, travel and relocation costs.

A total of 670 proposals were submitted to the ARC, nine were subsequently withdrawn by the Administering Organisations.

Table 1.    Approved Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2011

Salary Level
Proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Total requested funds (over project life)
Requested funds (over project life) of approved proposals
Funds allocated (over project life)
Allocation as a percentage of request
Salary Level 1
354
109
30.8%
$233,320,003
$72,982,395
$70,896,443
97.1%
Salary Level 2
215
67
31.2%
$163,926,906
$51,231,693
$50,153,511
97.9%
Salary Level 3
92
27
29.3%
$80,734,807
$23,697,508
$23,292,719
98.3%
Total
661
203
30.7%
$477,981,716
$147,911,596
$144,342,673
97.6%

Table 2.    Indicative funds for approved Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2011

2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
Total
Indicative Funding
$36,784,804
$36,319,632
$36,091,962
$35,146,275
$144,342,673

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National Research Priorities

Table 3.    Numbers and success rates for Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2011, by National Research Priority

 
Commencing in 2011
National Research Priority
Proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Allocated funds (over project life)
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
134
42
31.3%
$30,310,816
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
234
67
28.6%
$47,201,148
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
184
56
30.4%
$40,449,162
Safeguarding Australia
87
32
36.8%
$22,220,622
None selected
22
6
27.3%
$4,160,925
Total proposals
661
203
30.7%
$144,342,673
Total priority proposals
639
197
30.8%
$140,181,748
% within priority area
96.7%
97.0%
97.1%

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ARC Discipline Clusters

Table 4.    Numbers and success rates for Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2011, by Disciplines

 
Commencing in 2011
ARC Discipline Grouping ^
Proposals considered
% of proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Allocated funds (over project life)
BEM
208
31.5%
65
31.3%
$46,901,196
HSE
162
24.5%
51
31.5%
$35,849,431
PME
291
44.0%
87
29.9%
$61,592,046
Total
661
100%
203
30.7%
$144,342,673

^(BEM – Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Environmental, Medical and Health Sciences; HSE – Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; PME – Physical, Mathematical and Information Sciences and Engineering)

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Targeted Discipline and Research Areas

Applicants were asked to identify if the proposal targeted an identified disciplinary area where national capacity needed enhancing; or if the proposal targeted a research area of national significance.

Table 5.    Instances of identified targeted discipline areas in Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2011

 
Commencing in 2011
Targeted Discipline Area
Instances* in proposals considered
Instances* in approved proposals
Success rate
Computer science
75
15
20.0%
Economics
18
5
27.8%
Education
27
4
14.8%
Engineering
144
44
30.6%
English
10
2
20.0%
Information science
61
19
31.1%
Nursing and allied health
50
10
20.0%
Political science
44
13
29.5%
Total
429
112
26.1%

*A single proposal may select multiple targeted discipline areas.

Table 6.    Instances of identified targeted research areas in Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2011

 
Commencing in 2011
Targeted Research Area
Instances in proposals considered
Instances in proposals approved
Success rate
Asian studies
36
8
22.2%
Chemical and biological hazards
39
11
28.2%
Community and preventative health
127
38
29.9%
Computer system security, pattern recognition and data mining
54
13
24.1%
Environment and climate change
189
56
29.6%
Forensic science
10
5
50.0%
Immigration
21
4
19.0%
Indigenous health and well-being
27
11
40.7%
Land-based transport systems
9
1
11.1%
Manufacturing innovation
76
17
22.4%
Safeguarding Australia (especially electronic security, surveillance and detection)
48
17
35.4%
Social inclusion and systemic disadvantage
94
26
27.7%
Total
730
207
28.4%

*A single proposal may select multiple targeted research areas.

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Attracting and retaining outstanding researchers

Proposals were open to Eligible Organisations to nominate candidates who are outstanding researchers of international repute, resident either within Australia or overseas.

Table 7.    Citizenship/residency status of Future Fellowships candidates and approved Fellows for funding commencing in 2011

 
Commencing in 2011
Citizenship/residency status
Proposals considered
% of proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Foreign Nationals
102
15.4%
16
15.7%
Resident Australians
516
78.1%
169
32.8%
Returning Australians
43
6.5%
18
41.9%
Total
661
100.0%
203
30.7%

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Age and Gender

The majority of Future Fellowships proposals were in the 40-44 years age cohort (29.0%). The highest success rate was in the 30-34 years age cohort (35.8%).

Table 8.     Comparison of Future Fellowships success rates between female and male candidates from 2010 to 2011

Fellowship Type Gender
Commencing in 2010
Commencing in 2011
Number of proposals
Number of approved fellows
Success rate
Number of proposals
Number of approved fellows
Success rate
Salary Level 1 male
212
67
31.6%
245
76
31.0%
female
119
40
33.6%
109
33
30.3%
Salary Level 2 male
206
49
23.8%
159
51
32.1%
female
78
16
20.5%
56
16
28.6%
Salary Level 3 male
111
22
19.8%
62
17
27.4%
female
33
6
18.2%
30
10
33.3%
All levels male
529
138
26.1%
466
144
30.9%
female
230
62
27.0%
195
59
30.3%

Figure 1.   Success rate by age and gender for Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing 2011

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International Collaboration

Applicants foreshadowed 1412 instances of collaboration with researchers in 76 overseas locations on 546 proposals. Of the proposals approved for funding, 183 foreshadowed 466 instances of collaboration with researchers in 52 overseas locations.

Figure 2.   Instances of international collaboration on recommended Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2011

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Administering Organisation

Table 9.    Number of Future Fellowships proposals and success rates for funding commencing in 2011, by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation
Proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Allocated funding

Australian Capital Territory
 

The Australian National University
61
26
42.6%
$18,209,912

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
9
1
11.1%
$817,856

University of Canberra
2
1
50.0%
$713,976

New South Wales
 

Australian Astronomical Observatory
2
0
0.0%
$0

Charles Sturt University
2
0
0.0%
$0

Garvan Institute of Medical Research
1
0
0.0%
$0

Macquarie University
19
9
47.4%
$6,286,245

Neuroscience Research Australia
1
0
0.0%
$0

The University of Newcastle
10
4
40.0%
$2,516,022

Southern Cross University
5
1
20.0%
$709,212

The University of New England
2
1
50.0%
$703,556

The University of New South Wales
45
15
33.3%
$10,793,317

University of Wollongong
22
5
22.7%
$3,473,351

The University of Sydney
55
17
30.9%
$12,295,176

University of Technology, Sydney
14
5
35.7%
$3,623,116

University of Western Sydney
11
2
18.2%
$1,473,477

Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
3
2
66.7%
$1,246,381

Queensland
 

Central Queensland University
1
0
0.0%
$0

Griffith University
22
4
18.2%
$3,158,427

James Cook University
3
2
66.7%
$1,382,406

Queensland Institute of Medical Research
8
2
25.0%
$1,426,084

Queensland University of Technology
10
4
40.0%
$3,363,390

The University of Queensland
57
21
36.8%
$15,169,617

University of the Sunshine Coast
2
1
50.0%
$656,377

University of Southern Queensland
4
0
0.0%
$0

South Australia
 

The University of Adelaide
33
8
24.2%
$5,684,413

The Flinders University of South Australia
7
3
42.9%
$1,934,784

University of South Australia
10
0
0.0%
$0

Tasmania
 

University of Tasmania
21
4
19.0%
$2,917,373

Victoria
 

Australian Catholic University
2
1
50.0%
$816,756

University of Ballarat
1
0
0.0%
$0

Brain Research Institute Pty Ltd
1
1
100.0%
$736,856

Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research
2
0
0.0%
$0

Deakin University
6
1
16.7%
$712,856

Centre for Eye Research Australia Ltd
1
0
0.0%
$0

Howard Florey Institute
2
0
0.0%
$0

La Trobe University
10
1
10.0%
$615,374

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
3
1
33.3%
$776,395

Monash University
62
21
33.9%
$14,212,582

RMIT University
10
1
10.0%
$583,528

St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research
1
0
0.0%
$0

Swinburne University of Technology
9
3
33.3%
$1,894,038

The University of Melbourne
43
17
39.5%
$12,202,936

Victoria University
1
0
0.0%
$0

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
10
4
40.0%
$2,979,852

Western Australia
 

Curtin University of Technology
8
0
0.0%
$0

Murdoch University
3
0
0.0%
$0

The University of Western Australia
44
14
31.8%
$10,257,032

Total
661
203
30.7%
$144,342,673

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Content Last Modified: 14/11/11